1686-1 DIPLOMATIC DUEL. 127 



and all my endevours used to surpress their filthy 

 clrunkennesse, disorders, debauches, warring, and 

 quarrels, and whatsoever doth obstruct the growth 

 and enlargement of the Christian faith amongst 

 those people." He then, in reply to an application 

 of Denonville, promised to give up " runa waves." ! 

 Promise was not followed by performance ; and 

 he still favored to the utmost the truant French- 

 men who made Albany their resort, and often 

 brought with them most valuable information. 

 This drew an angry letter from Denonville. " You 

 were so good, Monsieur, as to tell me that you 

 would give up all the deserters who have fled to 

 you to escape chastisement for their knavery. As 

 most of them are bankrupts and thieves, I hope 

 that they will give you reason to repent having 

 harbored them, and that your merchants who em- 

 ploy them will be punished for trusting such 

 rascals." 2 To the great wrath of the French gov- 

 ernor, Dongan persisted in warning the Iroquois 

 that he meant to attack them. u You proposed, 

 Monsieur," writes Denonville, " to submit every 

 thing to the decision of our masters. Neverthe- 

 less, your emissary to the Ononclagas told all the 

 Five Nations in your name to pillage and make 

 war on us." Next, he berates his rival for furnish- 

 ing the Indians with rum. " Think you that 

 religion will make any progress, while your traders 

 supply the savages in abundance with the liquor 

 which, as you ought to know, converts them into 

 demons and their lodges into counterparts of Hell ? " 



1 Dongan to Denonville, 26 July, 1686, in N. Y. Col. Docs., III. 460. 



2 Denonville a Dongan, 1 Oct., 1686. 



